The unexpected "hold" on SpaceX's Falcon Heavy rocket preparations at Kennedy Space Center has ended and a countdown to its test firing and eventual launch is back on – but the government shutdown didn't do much to dampen excitement surrounding the three-core launch vehicle.

Buzz surrounding a test firing of the rocket's 27 main engines – the next step toward a demonstration flight sometime early this year – intensified over the government-less weekend as SpaceX was forced to stand down at pad 39A. The company leases the pad from NASA and relies on the Air Force, which oversees KSC and neighboring Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, for operational support. Both facilities reopened Tuesday.

"Due to the shutdown removing key members of the civilian workforce, the 45th Space Wing will not be able to support commercial static fires taking place on KSC," the Wing said in a Sunday statement, noting that launch operations would also be halted.

That unexpected intersection of a government shutdown and its effects on SpaceX's heavy-lift rocket exposed waves of disappointment and questions among space fans, especially on platforms like Twitter and Reddit.

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"The universe insists that Falcon Heavy stays only as close as on the horizon," one Reddit user said after the news of a shutdown meant SpaceX could not proceed with its first test fire, the timing of which has been adjusted several times.

But why is a test fire – not even the full-fledged launch – garnering so much attention?

"I guess people are just catching on more and more and the word is getting out," said Stephen Marr, a space enthusiast and photographer who left Tennessee and moved to the Space Coast last year for the rumble of launches and landings. "The shutdown is just another thing to add to it."

SpaceX's preparations leading up to Falcon Heavy's premiere flight are essentially tests before the test – the company has fueled the 230-foot-tall rocket at least twice and could test fire its Merlin main engines more than once, giving teams enough data to instill confidence in its readiness.

And the rocket's readiness is something CEO Elon Musk has discussed before, most notably during a March 2017 conference in Washington, D.C. during which he said it is one of the most difficult projects SpaceX has ever undertaken.

"There's a lot of risk associated with Falcon Heavy," he said. "Real good chance that the vehicle doesn't make it to orbit. I want to make sure to set expectations accordingly."

While it might simply look like three Falcon 9 cores strapped together, that's a simplification – teams had to strengthen the airframe to account for the two side cores' powerful thrust; re-examine aerodynamics; account for altered acoustics thanks to three times as many engines; and make hardware modifications to the pad, to name a few.

But the billionaire remained optimistic and said people should "come down to the Cape to see the first Falcon Heavy mission."

The 5.1 million pounds of thrust that eventually propel Falcon Heavy off pad 39A will make it the most powerful operational rocket in the world. But it's not just the rocket that will take flight – Musk's 2008 Tesla Roadster, an all-electric sports car that boosted his energy company during its formative years, will be safely encapsulated in the rocket's protective payload fairing. Its destination? Deep space, according to Musk.

SpaceX's foray into the heavy-lift market is designed to take heavier payloads to orbit, opening the company's manifest to new capabilities. SpaceX has already signed contracts to launch commercial missions on the rocket capable of taking 140,000 pounds to low Earth orbit – if the test fires and demonstration flight are successful.

If contracted, Falcon Heavy can also launch lunar and Mars missions.

Contact Emre Kelly at aekelly@floridatoday.com or 321-242-3715. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook at @EmreKelly.